


The Book Thief and the Tower Princess

by fresne



Category: Disney Princesses
Genre: Cat1, Gen, Misses Clause Challenge, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 13:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fresne/pseuds/fresne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As so many stories, this story began with our heroine reading while riding in the woods, when what should she encounter, but a tower with a rather luxuriantly tressed maiden inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Book Thief and the Tower Princess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Valancy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valancy/gifts).



Belle was riding on her horse Phillipe through the woods while reading the Aeneid, as one does. She was just at the point of telling Aeneas to be nicer to Dido with accompanying snorts by Phillipe, when Phillipe stopped. She looked up and realized that she'd somehow meandered into a valley containing a tower.

This was far more interesting that what normally happened, which was she almost ran into a tree branch. Forests were commonly full of trees and not so much towers. Belle got down off of Phillipe and walked around the base, but there was no door. She told Phillipe. "This doesn't seem terribly useful."

Then she looked up and saw the window. She called out, "Hello, anyone up there."

A very friendly looking woman looked down. "Mother? Oh, you're not Mother. Hello."

"Hello," said Belle, and because this was the most interesting thing that had ever happened to her said, "Is there way to get up to the top?"

The young woman seemed to think about this. "I'm really not supposed to talk to strangers. Hello, I'm Rapunzel."

Belle smiled. "I'm Belle."

"Now we're not strangers." Rapunzel waved and threw a long yellow rope down. Belle climbed up the rope. Now it might not seem that a life dedicated to reading would make it easy to climb up a tower wall on a rope, but really it had. There were so many books shoved into so many crannies that she was forever climbing up walls to get at them. Also, to her shame, Belle occasionally dabbled in a life of crime where she "borrowed" books. The book she was currently carrying was "borrowed" from Judge Froye, who was certainly never going to read it and if people only had books on their shelves as decorations and didn't notice that a block of wood with the word Aeneid written on the side had been left in its place then they were simply asking for them to be stolen. Belle had "borrowed" the Aeneid for some years now. There were by this point quite a lot wooden books in her town.

These musings entertained her until she reached the top and discovered that the rope was in fact the woman's hair. "How interesting." She looked around and really everything up in the tower was interesting. The walls were simply covered in amazing art work. "Did you paint these?"

"Yes, but they aren't," said Rapunzel, but Belle had to stop her right there.

"You are an amazing artist," Belle put her book down on a chair, "and you have the most amazing hair I've ever seen."

Rapunzel twisted several yards worth of hair through her hands. "Would you like to see the rest of my paintings? Only Mother's seen then."

"That would be an unequivocal yes," said Belle, who was given the tour, and introduced to Pascal, Rapunzel's pet chameleon, which led to a brief digression on Blaise Pascal, who neither of them had heard of. Belle, naturally enough given her father's mechanical interests, had heard quite a lot about Pascal. Rapunzel swung around and around the tower watching Belle attempt very poorly to do a line drawing of some of Pascal's calculating machines. 

She sang a song about Pascal and philosophical mathematics. Rapunzel sang about the properties of color and Pascal, the chameleon. It was nice. Belle didn't get to sing many duets.

When the duet finished, they continued the tour. Rapunzel explained her inspirations for each piece flowing into the other.

Now that Rapunzel and little Pascal had not heard of Pascal had been no surprise to Belle. Most people hadn't heard of Pascal unless they were scientists or philosophers. However, Belle encountered a bit of a shock when they reached the bottom and Belle said, "You're work is very visceral. They reminds me of some lithographs I've seen of the work of Jean Honore Fragonard in, um, _The Paris Academy Official: Rococo Masters_. Have you read it?"

Rapunzel sighed and swung idly around a tower beam on her very versatile hair. "Mother never taught me to read. She sometimes has books, but she always says there is nothing interesting to read about in the world outside. All that is outside are dangers."

Belle briefly grew dizzy at the horror at this statement. Pascal licked kindly at her cheek. "Nothing interesting to read about. Nothing. I. I. I. I need to sit down." She sat down on the floor. "Nothing. Never. But books are. They're wonderful."

"Oh," said Rapunzel, who sat down next to her on the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs. 

This situation could not stand. Or in this situation, sit on the floor, which was cold anyway. Belle sat up straight. "Get your paint. I'm teaching you to read and I'm lending you my, um…" and here she paused as the Rococo Masters wasn't precisely her book, but if Madame Gironet didn't notice that it was now a block of wood and had been for five years, it could do with some lending, "copy of Rococo Masters."

Rapunzel got her paints. As the walls were covered, this left the floor, which Rapunzel said rather ambiguously she could cover with a rug if need be. Belle drew the letter "A", and a red blot. "Um, that supposed to be an apple. Maybe you should draw it."

Rapunzel sighed, "Mother never brings me apples. She was eating one once when she arrived. But she says I don't need them, because I'm always healthy."

Belle was forming an unpleasant impression of Rapunzel's book and apple withholding Mother, but she wasn't sure if she should say anything. "Well, that will have to do as our apple for now." She drew a B and a Bee. "Have you seen a bee?"

"They don't come up here much," said Rapunzel. She shrugged. "Sorry."

Rapunzel rescued Belle from having to paint a bat, which Rapunzel had seen before, as they had briefly roosted in the tower until her Mother chased them off to prevent droppings.

Belle got as far as drawing a "C" and realized that neither a Cat, nor a Cart, nor any of the other words she could think of to go with C would do. "I can't work this way." She put the brush down. "This is just criminal, and I should know." She then admitted her terrible secret life as a book thief. "It's just they're just sitting on most people's shelves unloved and I love them so much and I want to read everything a dozen times." She picked up the Aeneid and held it to her chest.

"Mother worries about the dangers of the world outside, but I've never had anything worth stealing," said Rapunzel. She looked up at the art spiralling around the tower.

Just then there was a trilling, "You-who, Rapunzel, dear. Let down your hair."

"Oh, Mother. Um… I'm going to put you in the closet for a few minutes." Rapunzel pushed her in the direction of wardrobe. 

Belle had once read about a fabulous adventure in a wardrobe. Yet she had to say, "I'd actually like a word with your Mother." Belle had many words and wanted to use quite a few of them talking to Rapunzel's reading averse Mother.

"Oh, that won't go well. Just, um, here." Rapunzel shoved Belle in a closet, which wasn't entirely uncomfortable and if Rapunzel didn't want her to meet her Mother, Belle was possibly going to respect that.

Belle settled on the floor and read by the light of the crack. She had reached the underworld when the door swung open. She blinked in the light at Rapunzel, who was positively glowing with excitement. "I've asked Mother to get me some materials for paints that will take at least three days. Do you think you could take me to the place where the lights that go across the sky once a year come from?" 

This question turned out to be the introduction to a solo where Rapunzel wondered about when her life would begin, which Belle couldn't help but respond to with her own song about provincial life. As they finished, they both laughed, because they both wanted more.

They planned for Belle to take Rapunzel home, pick up some books for the trip, and a map and be on their way to Lantern Town beyond, which surely had another name, but Belle hadn't brought the proper reference materials for her ride.

Belle did insist they leave a short note on the chance that Rapunzel's Mother did return and worry about her daughter, which had Rapunzel fidgeting, but Belle wouldn't budge until she'd written it on the mirror, where it would wash off easily.

They both climbed down on Rapunzel's hair and set off.

Now they didn't have supplies and Phillipe was thirsty, so they ended up stopping at the Snuggly Duckling Inn for a little something to eat and drink.

As soon as she opened the door, Belle knew that this could go very badly. She'd read many cautionary tales that began much like this one with the protagonist walking into just such a bar full of Gaulish thugs just like this. 

Surprisingly Rapunzel led them all in a rousing song about their life dreams. It was very informative and Belle was reminded not to judge a book by its cover. Especially if that cover was painted on. 

Also, the meal was delightful.

Sadly, the meal ended when the place was rousted by the authorities searching for a jewel thief. Now Belle only stole books, so they waited demurely with Rapunzel's frying pan and Belle's rather heavy book until the officials had left.

Things went less well when they reached Belle's village, where a horde of angry villagers were pounding on her father's door waving wooden books in the air. Monsieur Homme, the grocer, had an entire cart of them. "Oh," said Belle.

"You really are a book thief," said Rapunzel. She looked down at the village. "I had no idea there were that many books." She tilted her head. "That set of five is really nicely done."

"Oh," said Belle holding herself. Fortunately her father was in the next town attempting to purchase supplies for his latest invention, but he'd have to return eventually. "I hadn't realized that I'd taken so many."

Rapunzel patted her shoulder, "We'll think of something."

Which indeed they did. Using Rapunzel's hair and with the help of a rather indulgent Philipe, they climbed up the back of the house and into the attic window. Rapunzel marvelled at the sheer number of things in Belle's home. So, there was nothing for it but to show her some of Father's inventions and let Pascal crawl around the works of Pascal and the time almost got away from them. But fortunately, the clocks in the house were very loud.

Belle remembered herself enough to gather up her most important books, the Rococo Masters, a map, and some apples and they were on their way.

They camped in the woods, which neither of them had done, but was very exciting. They were not attacked by wolves, but Belle told Rapunzel a story about a man who periodically became a wolf, but he was a very civilized wolf, who was betrayed by his wife, but saved by the king. Belle admitted she had written a small amendment to this story in which the king and the wolf, once he became a man again, became romantically involved, which she assured Rapunzel had been all the rage in older Greek stories.

It was then that Rapunzel had the idea for Belle to write a book, which she would draw the pictures for. They sang about it and fell asleep with wide smiles.

The next day, they reached Lantern town, where there was a wonderful festival going on. While Rapunzel was getting her hair braided for easier travel through the crowds, Belle went to buy a book about the festival and the town, which she reasoned she should actually purchase rather than steal, because she was soon to face the music for her life of crime and there was no way to carve a book shaped object here. However, as it happened the book was given out freely. The book seller smiled at her reverent expression at the free book. "The King and Queen pays for them. Just another way they hope the word about the lost princess spreads."

Rapunzel was still getting her hair braided while Belle read the book. It was more of a booklet. Seeing the lovely print in the front piece with its hand colored picture of the lost princess, Belle had a rather strong suspicion fed by a lifetime of reading stories where exactly this sort of coincidence was the norm.

A sense of drama said that she should wait until the lanterns were released to tell Rapunzel. Belle was not capable of waiting that long. She blurted, "I think you're the lost princess." The little girls who were still braiding Rapunzel's hair squealed and clapped their hands, and went to tell their mothers, who then came to see, who then argued over whether or not Rapunzel resembled the princess in the picture, which then started a brawl, which then resulted in the guards appearing, which then resulted in them being pulled before the King and Queen before Rapunzel had had a chance to say, "But my Mother," more than a few times.

But it didn't take too many minutes of looking through the pictures in booklet for Rapunzel to drop it to the floor and face the King and Queen. 

There was then a great deal of crying and cheering and general rejoicing.

Since the lanterns had brought Rapunzel to them, they released them anyway.

It was marvelous, and Belle stayed over because it was really too late to leave.

There was a rather unfortunate incident in the night when it sounded like someone attempted to climb in the room, but by the time they got up, Pascal was sitting in the window looking innocent, and all that was outside was a black cloth blowing away on the wind.

They went back to bed. In the morning, Belle had to leave her new friend, but promised to return, and had even been offered a job teaching Rapunzel to read, with free access to the castle's library.

Still she needed to deal with the book situation at home. Now as it happened, she was reading on the way back and Phillipe had perhaps been up rather late with Maximus, a horse of the palace guard, the night before, so they became rather lost on the way.

She looked up when they stopped in a rose garden in front of a castle. "This isn't home." The door of the castle opened invitingly. "I can spare an hour or two for a magical castle." She wandered for a bit, until she stopped at the sight of a great Beast, who was standing below a man hanging off a chandelier while wearing a tiara that did not suit him.

She cleared her voice, "Hello. I'm Belle. What's going on here?"

She was not killed by the Beast, who was very grumpy, but not murderous. She was rather dubious of Flynn, who attempted to flim flam her from the chandelier.

In the end, the Beast wouldn't let anyone leave, which was very beastly of him, which she supposed was natural. It was surprisingly crowded in the castle with the three of them and all the magically dancing furniture.

Eventually, Rapunzel showed up riding Maximus, and followed by a small search party, Belle's Father, some Gaulish thugs, and sadly a wooden book waving mob. By this time, Eugene – Flynn's actual name – had learned to make a mean soufflé from the kitchen pots and pans, and Belle had danced with the Beast, who'd learned to be less beastly and become not a beast at all.

Belle introduced to Eugene to Rapunzel and Rapunzel to Eugene. She gave the key to her house to the mob so they could get their books back, and chided her Father for losing his key.

After that, they did not live happily ever after, because that would have implied that they had no more adventures to live.

Instead, Belle assured everyone that there would be many sequels.

**Author's Note:**

> If after reading my fiction here, you would like to read more about me and my writing check out my profile.


End file.
